ECJ rules Oriol Junqueras has the right to be a MEP

Today, European Court of Justice has ruled that our colleague Oriol Junqueras has the right to be a Member of the European Parliament. The Spanish Supreme Court had ruled that Junqueras could not take up his seat after he was elected in the last European elections in May, as he was in pretrial detention for having participated in the organization of a self-determination referendum in Catalonia. The Greens/EFA group have long been calling for a political solution.
 
Ska Keller MEP, President of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, comments:
 
"We have always defended the right of our colleague to take up his seat and we welcome that the ECJ now recognises this right. The European Parliament is the body competent to defend Oriol Junqueras' immunity.  We request Mr Sassoli to enforce the ruling of the ECJ by protecting the rights of an elected Member of this chamber and ensure the protection of his immunity in order to exercise his mandate. The implementation of this ruling is essential to protect the rights of Mr Junqueras but also to protect the functioning and independence of the European Parliament.

Diana Riba MEP, Greens/EFA MEP, comments:
 
"So long as Oriol Junqueras is not allowed to take up his seat in the European Parliament it violates his rights and the choice of the 1.2 million people who voted for him and are not represented today in the European Parliament. Oriol Junqueras should have been freed to be able to exercise his political mandate as an MEP. Now that the ECJ has ruled that he should be able to take up his seat the Spanish state must provide him the opportunity to fulfil his duty to his voters."